Chapter Text
Iruka slid his bag onto his shoulder. He smiled as he caught sight of the blue, yellow, and pink splattered diagonally across the front flap of the bag. Even now, years later, he appreciated that Kakashi had complimented the spatter and that his own stubborn streak had driven him to get the color sealed to the leather. He loved the spatter. It really did suit him.
He walked home, enjoying the crisp autumn air as he did.
He let himself into his quiet, dark apartment. The quiet didn't bother him; he knew that Naruto and Sasuke would drop by to visit tomorrow evening for dinner, and there would be plenty of noise and laughter filling the apartment walls then.
He kicked off his sandals, and went in to put his bag on his desk chair. He didn't bother turning on any of the lights; as soon as the bag left his shoulder, he turned around again, only pausing to grab two scarves, one navy blue and the other, a chalky maroon, from the hook by the door. He stepped into his sandals and let himself out, pressing his hand to the door to reactivate the barriers and traps. He wrapped the navy blue scarf around his throat and tucked the maroon scarf through his belt.
Unhurried, he walked back down the steps and through Konoha, thumbs hooked in his pockets.
He loved Konoha, and he particularly loved that the Village Hidden in the Leaves lived up to its name. The expanses of trees scattered throughout the village hid many secrets, and one of them was his, and his alone.
He stepped into the woods and picked his way carefully along a route he knew like the back of his hand, though there was no path marking his way.
After long minutes of walking, he finally saw, in the growing darkness of dusk, the warm flicker of a familiar fire. Before long, he caught the gleam of firelight reflecting off ashy hair and the coppery glow of firelight on fair skin. A tent stood between two trees somewhere behind the familiar figure.
"You forgot your scarf," Iruka announced by way of greeting. He pulled the scarf from his belt and slipped it over Kakashi's head, tenderly tucking it around Kakashi's throat and into the lapels of the olive-green coat Kakashi adored so much. It had been a gift, on a birthday past, from Iruka, fitted and flared and very, the saleswoman had assured him when he'd purchased it, fashionable. Kakashi smiled up at him, and the smile reached his whole face, easy and light and loving and entirely different than the smiles Kakashi had given him all those years ago, here in the autumn forest.
"I didn't forget it," Kakashi said, tipping his purple-marked but otherwise bare face up to receive Iruka's warm kiss. He smiled into the kiss. "I wanted you to bring it for me."
"Idiot," Iruka said with a warm, fond laugh. He settled down onto the log beside his lover, enjoying the warmth of the cheerfully-crackling fire.
"Your idiot," Kakashi said happily, leaning eagerly into Iruka's embrace.
"Mm. You know, I'm the luckiest man in the world," Iruka told him with a smile, pressing a kiss into Kakashi's wild hair.
"No, you're not," Kakashi said seriously.
"Oh? And why's that?" Iruka asked curiously.
"Because I am," Kakashi all but purred, snuggling in closer to Iruka. "Happy anniversary, Iruka, my love."
"May there be many more," Iruka murmured sincerely in reply.